Shanghai International Comparative Government and Politics Questions Discussion

User Generated

Wreelcubror

Humanities

Shanghai International Studies University

Description

Instructions: For questions with a choice, make it clear which question you choose. Be concise but answer the whole question. While one could write full essays in response to these questions, the goal is to directly and concisely answer it with reference to course materials. We do not need a treatise. Write no more than 350 words for any question. That is more than enough for most questions, many of which will require fewer words.

Answer ONE.

Distinguish between the process of state formation in Europe compared to that of Africa.

Describe the role of economic extraction (taxation) in the formation of the modern state.

How does geography matter in the strength and viability of the modern African state?

Answer TWO.

Define democratization. Identify international and domestic factors that can increase the likelihood for democratic transitions.

Briefly identify key principles of democracy. Next, why might it be analytically useful to consider democracy as binary/dichotomous (democracy vs. non-democracy)? Why might it be useful to consider democracy as on a continuum (graded scale)?

Why does democracy need a level playing field? Why is competition central to democracy and accountability in democratic systems? What are the effects of an uneven playing field on competition?

On what basis do Howard and Roessler disaggregate political regimes? What is competitive authoritarianism in their framework? How might opposition in a non-democratic regime increase the competitive playing field vis-à-vis the incumbent government?

Answer ONE.

Choose an authoritarian regime type and describe its key features. Why is a typology of authoritarian regimes useful for analysis?

What are two different ways to conceptualize personalism? What are the tradeoffs of these alternative conceptualizations for understanding dictatorship?

Nicolae Ceaușescu seemed utterly shocked when, while delivering a speech to a mass crowd at Revolution Square in Bucharest, the crowd “turned” on him and his government. How does his reaction exemplify the “dictator’s dilemma?” Is the dictator the only one affected by this dilemma? Be sure to define the term in your answer.

Answer ONE.

You have just been appointed to a cabinet position to help protect democracy in Genovia. The last four years under the previous administration have been characterized by democratic decay, with a reduction in Genovia’s Global Freedom Score from 70 to 52. Your task is to describe three main factors behind this decay and to provide an option for each moving forward.

What is polarization? How does it differ from the competition that is at the heart of electoral democracy? How and to what extent is polarization a factor in democratic erosion?

What are different modes of democratic breakdown? Identify a few factors that contribute to democratic backsliding. Does this process imply that the outcome or destination is non-democracy? Reference cases that exemplify these different forms.

Answer ONE.

What is the “rebel’s dilemma?” What kind of problem is this and what theoretical perspective gives rise to it? Identify different theoretical explanations for how this dilemma is overcome in the context of social movements, uprisings, or revolutions.

What explains the effectiveness of civil resistance and social movements? Reference the theories and ideas of Schock and Stephan & Chenoweth in your answer. How do these ideas inform your understanding of a familiar case of contentious activism.

Answer ONE.

Distinguish between primordialist, instrumentalist, and social constructivist approaches to national identity. President Trump described the Kurds as a “natural enemy of Turkey.” Further, “They are natural enemies. They’ve been fighting each other for… hundreds of years.” What theoretical view does this represent and why?

What is nationalism and what are alternative conceptual understandings of it? Argue that nationalism is a force for good. Then argue it’s not.

Answer ONE.

What is an electoral system? In democracies, they are largely organized as either single-member systems (plurality or majoritarian) or proportional representation systems. Explain benefits and drawbacks of each.

What is a party system? What are the common functions of individual parties? In other words, what purposes do political parties serve? Make reference to a case to illustrate your answer.

Answer ONE.

How did the study and analysis of decentralization develop over time? That is, what theoretical frameworks (generally three) help explain different forms of multilevel governance and their effects?

What are the goals of decentralization in terms of democracy, development, and security? Why do advocates think decentralization may be useful in these areas? What are the potential pitfalls?

Answer the question.

Choose between “structural” and “individual motivation” and “cultural” approaches to the study of government and politics. What are the key features of that approach? How does it help us explain political behavior? Reference at least one example.

User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

Hello, here is the final solution. Let me know if you have any question

1

Framework of Comparative and Regional Studies

Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name and Number
Instructor's Name
Assignment Due Date

2
Question 1
Distinguish between the process of state formation in Europe compared to that of Africa.
European states synchronously developed international legal sovereignty and state
capacity compared to African states that independently developed the two aspects of the legal
sovereignty imposed on them. As a result, African states lacked the economic and institutional
features of unconventional capitalist policies.
From a militarist perspective of state formation, African states lacked extensive periods
of high-intensity warfare compared to European states. War played a significant role in the
formation of European states. With the current low level of technology in African states, the
states develop slower than European forms.
From an economic perspective, African states, governments should work on creating
incentives to attract private wealth maximization within their states, which translates to the
general gain to them. Unlike European states that develop under the capacity of competing with
external war, African states should be concerned about the policies that will enhance private
wealth maximization aligning with the public welfare gains. As seen in Korea's late-developing
states, the government concentrates on building state capacity and providing public instead of
private goods. On the other hand, African countries have seen the government provide narrower
clienteles (Spruyt, 2002).
Question 2
Define democratization. Identify international and domestic factors that can increase the
likelihood of democratic transitions.
Democratization is the process by which a political system becomes democratic.
Domestic factors

3
Socioeconomic factors – the factor is related to developmental studies. This approach is
denoted as the modernization theory. Modernization was an essential factor in building
democracy, establishing political stability and order.
Political culture –Political organizations and the role of domestic political elites and the
citizens
International factors -Democracy promotion and Democracy diffusion
Question 3
On what basis do Howard and Roessler disaggregate political regimes? What is competitive
authoritarianism in their framework? How might opposition in a non-democratic regime
increase the competitive playing field vis-à-vis the incumbent government?
Howard and Roessler disaggregate political regimes into five different forms based on
substantive and theoretical differences. They distinguish between democracy and
authoritarianism by the degree of competition and participation in the selection of political
leaders. According to the authors, competitive authoritarianism rests on an inconsistency; the
system is stable if the incumbent can control the electoral process but characteristically uneven
because frequently held elections present a chance for the opposition to challenge authoritarian
incumbents. Authoritarianism will create an uneven playing field between government and
opposition to win (Howard & Roessler, 2006).
Question 4
Choose an authoritarian regime type and describe its key features. Why is a typology of
authoritarian regimes useful for analysis?
Authoritarian regimes are political structures having the following features;
1. Lacks clear and guiding ideology

4
2. Have limited but not responsible political pluralism
3. No extensive or intensive political mobilization
4. Leaders practice power within formally vague factors.
An example of an authoritarian regime is Monarchial authoritarian regimes. Such as the
Middle Eastern monarchies. The main features include; personalistic rulers govern them.
However, his authority is supported by other arms. The head (the king) stands at the middle of
the regime union, which may be diverse and may include broad social support. The mass
population is mostly politically quiescent, or it can be mobilized along clientelist or communal
lines. Generally, the monarchy is legitimized and organized with the guidance of a constitution.
The s...


Anonymous
Just what I was looking for! Super helpful.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Related Tags